Terminal management method and apparatus

ABSTRACT

An information processing system includes a host computer, an ID number management file for storing user discrimination information such as ID number, and a terminal system group such as work stations, responsive to a recording medium such as an ID magnetic card or IC card written with the discrimination information stored in the management file, for the data processing with the host computer. The management file records therein the user discrimination information for uniquely discriminating a user. An apparatus is provided for recording, in accordance with the recorded user discrimination information, in the recording medium the discrimination information specific to the discriminated user. A process is carried out or an apparatus is provided, at the terminal system to be used by a user, whereby the discrimination information recorded in the recording medium is entered, and in accordance with the entered discrimination information, an address of the terminal system is set.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an on-line terminal management methodand apparatus, and more particularly to a terminal management method andapparatus for an information processing system capable of reducingterminal change/maintenance works upon new system generation.

Conventionally, when a new terminal is to be connected to a centralcomputer of an on-line system such as banking systems and securitiesdealing systems, this new terminal is assigned a fixed terminal addressthat is written in a predetermined area of a disk of the terminal byusing switches or a keyboard. Accordingly if a new terminal isadditionally installed or transferred to another location, a systemmanager is required to check whether an assigned terminal address is thesame as any one of the already assigned terminal addresses, and if thereany one that matches, the system manager is required to again assignanother terminal address not coincident with already assigned terminaladdresses.

According to another method as disclosed in, e.g., Japanese PatentLaid-open Publication JP-A-61-173549, if a terminal is additionallyinstalled or transferred to another location, the contents of a datatable in an auxiliary storage connected to, and collectively managed by,a central computer, are updated. Therefore, it suffices only if theterminal requests the central computer to transfer the information inthe data table when necessary. The data table includes therein aterminal attribute, address table, command table and other tables. Withthis method, although the amount of work necessary for a new systemgeneration is reduced, the work of updating the data table is stillrequired to be carried out by a system manager. Consequently, in addinga new terminal to a local area network (LAN) connected to a centralcomputer or in transferring an already installed terminal to anotherLAN, it is necessary for a system manager to check whether an assignedterminal address of a terminal to be added or transferred is the same asany one of already assigned terminal addresses, and if there is amatching address, to again assign another terminal address notcoincident with already assigned terminal addresses.

With the above-described prior art, a terminal address is assigned toeach terminal independently from, and irrelevant to, already assignedterminal addresses. Therefore, a system manager is required to check anassigned terminal address of a terminal to be additionally installed ortransferred. In order to avoid a duplicated terminal address, cumbersomemanual terminal address assignment together with the setting operationsof the terminal address and terminal attribute is required, therebyimposing a large burden on a system manager.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a terminal management method andapparatus for an on-line system capable of automatic terminal addressmanagement.

The present invention also provides a terminal management method andapparatus capable of dynamically setting a terminal address during theinitializing process at each terminal, and checking the validity of aterminal system user.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a host systemsupervises the discrimination information by which system users can bediscriminated uniquely or unambiguously. A recording medium storing thediscrimination information is provided to each system user. Thediscrimination information in the recording medium is entered during theinitializing process at a terminal by a system user. The terminaladdress and terminal attribute are generated from the discriminationinformation in accordance with a predetermined manner and set to theterminal. The host system also determines the validity of, and allowableaccess range by, the terminal system user by checking a correspondencebetween the security information included in the entered discriminationinformation and the discrimination information stored in a managementfile of the host system, to thereby permit or inhibit the system user touse the system, and to limit the access range by the terminal systemuser.

The host system supervises the discrimination information by whichsystem users are uniquely discriminated, and a recording medium given toeach system user is written with its corresponding discriminationinformation. Each terminal is not previously assigned a particularterminal address, but the terminal address is unambiguously determinedevery time a system user enters the discrimination information by usingthe recording medium. Accordingly, no duplicated terminal address isgenerated and the addition/transfer of terminals ca be freely carriedout. In addition, the validity of a system user at a terminal can bechecked on the basis of the security information.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a terminal or workstation connected to a LAN has a discrimination information reader forreading the user discrimination information which uniquely determinesthe terminal address, the discrimination information being stored in arecording medium such as a magnetic card or IC card. LAN is connected todistributed (branch) computers which are connected via a wide areanetwork to a central computer (host system). The host system has a usermanagement file containing the user discrimination information. Whilereferring to the user management file, the host system determines thediscrimination information not the same as any one of already issuedterminal addresses, i.e., discrimination information so that an ID issuemachine issues a recording medium written with the determineddiscrimination information. The host system stores the determineddiscrimination information in the user management file to always updatethe file. A copy of the user management file may be provided at eachbranch. In this case, each time an initializing process is carried outat a terminal, the corresponding branch computer checks a correspondencebetween the discrimination information of a terminal set with a terminaladdress and the security information included in the discriminationinformation, and checks the validity of the system user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall arrangement of a system tobe used for explaining an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram used for explaining an example of issuing an IDcard.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating an ID card issue processing program.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram used for explaining the work stationinitializing process.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart used for explaining the work station initializingprocess.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a routing table of a host computer.

FIG. 7 is an extended user management file.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a hierarchic arrangement of an ID number.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of the systemarrangement of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10represents a host computer such as a central computer having a database, 11 is a user management file, 12 is an ID card issue machine, 20is a wide area network such as ISDN, 30 is a distributed computer suchas a distributed station or branch computer, 40 is a local area network,50 is a work station or the like serving as one of a plurality ofterminal equipments (50₁ -50_(m), m: positive integers), and 51 one of aplurality of ID card readers (51₁ -51_(m)). A copy of the usermanagement file 11 may be provided at the distributed computer 30.

The host computer (hereinafter called Host) 10 is on-line or off lineconnected to the user management file 11 and ID issue machine 12 so thata recording medium (in this case an ID card) for a particular user canbe issued. Discrimination information (in this case, ID number) foruniquely discriminating each system user is written on the ID card whichis then given to a particular system user. Host 10 is also connected tothe wide area network 20. The distributed computer (hereinafterabbreviated as DP) 30 is installed at each branch or station, andconnected to the wide area network 20. Each workstation (hereinafterabbreviated as WS) 50 is connected to an ID card reader 51. A systemuser at WS 50 produces the discrimination information written in the IDcard and read with the ID card reader 51. The information is sent toHost 10.

Generally, a plurality of WSs 50 are installed at each branch, and WSs50 and DP 30 are interconnected by the local area network (hereinafterabbreviated as LAN) 40. This system constructed as above is a largescale on-line system whereby main transactions are distributablyprocessed at Host 10 and DP 30. WS 50 has a program for executing apredetermined function by which an ID number is converted into aterminal address.

When a system user causes its ID card to be read with the ID card reader51, the terminal address of WS 50 is determined in accordance with theinputted ID number by using the above-described program executing thepredetermined function stored in WS 50. A transaction is carried out bythe system user at WS 50 while communicating with DP 30 and Host 10. Anewly installed WS 50 has initially no terminal address, but the addressis set at WS 50 only after an ID card is read and its discriminationinformation is entered. The ID number is managed by the user managementfile 11 of Host 10 so as to update and always maintain unique the IDnumber. Duplicated terminal addresses therefore never occur.

In this embodiment, as an ID card is given to a particular system user,and the terminal address is uniquely assigned to that user. Since theterminal address is managed irrespective of a physical device, i.e., WS,no duplicated terminal addresses occur upon addition/transfer of WSs,thereby allowing the addition/transfer of WSs as desired, independentlyfrom the terminal address.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram used for explaining the issue of ID cards tosystem users.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 10 represents a Host computer, 11 a usermanagement file, 12 is an ID card issue machine, 13 is a managerterminal equipment, and 14 is an ID card. A system manager supervisessystem users in the following manner.

A system manager operates upon the manager terminal equipment 13,connected to Host 10, to register the names and ID numbers of all systemusers in the user management file 11 connected to Host 10. Each IDnumber includes, for example, a pass word determined by Host 10. IDnumbers in correspondence with respective use names are set so as not tobe duplicated, by using a known program.

A system manager also operates upon the manager terminal 13 to extract asystem user name and ID number from the user management file 11 whichare supplied to the ID card issue machine 12 connected to Host 10 tothereby issue an ID card 14 to that system user. The pass word isnotified to the system user when the ID card is given to the user. Thepass word may be changed upon request from a system user.

FIG. 3 is an example of a flow chart illustrating the ID card issueprogram. The ID card issue control by a system manager will be describedwith reference to the flow chart of FIG. 3.

If there occurs a change in system user data (step 300), a systemmanager enters the ID numbers of added, deleted or changed system users(step 310) and updates the user management file (step 320). If an IDcard is requested to be issued (step 330), the system manager enters anID card issue command (step 340) to issue an ID card 14 from the ID cardissue machine (step 350). The system manager gives the issued ID card 14to the system user (step 360).

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the initializing process by aworkstation WS.

In FIG. 4, reference numeral 14 represents an ID card, 40 is a LAN, 50is a WS, 51 is an ID card reader, 52 is an address converter program forconverting an ID number into a terminal address, and 53 is a LANadapter.

Prior to execution of a transaction at WS 50, a system user causes theID card 14 to be read with the ID card reader 51. In this case, the IDcard 14 may be read in connection with an arbitrary WS 50 no matter whatID number the ID card 14 carries with it is. The ID number read from theID card 14 with the ID card reader 51 is transferred to the addressconverter program 52. This program 52 operates to determine a terminaladdress for the ID number. In this case, the ID number may be used asthe terminal address on condition that there is coincidence between theID number and terminal address as to their numbers of digits, whethercodes representative of alphanumeric type whether numerals only orcharacters only are used, and other requirements. In such a case, theaddress conversion process is not needed. The determined terminaladdress is set to the LAN adapter 53.

Thereafter, WS 50 subscribes for LAN 40 by using the determined terminaladdress to transmit a connection request to a Host system. Afterreceiving a response message from the Host system, the system user isallowed to carry out a transaction by using WS 50. The term "Hostsystem" herein used should be construed to be inclusive of Host 10 andDP 30. Host 10 and DP 30 may be configured in parallel, with functionsof data base server and processor server being provided to each.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a flow chart illustrating the WS initializingprogram.

The initializing control by WS 50 will be described with reference tothe exemplary flow chart of FIG. 5.

Prior to operating upon WS 50, a system user first enters a pass wordand causes the ID card 14 to be read with the ID card reader 51 of theWS 50 of interest (step 500). At WS 50, the read ID number is checkedfor the comparison with the entered pass word, and if verified, the IDnumber is converted into a terminal address (step 510). WS 50 sets theterminal address to the LAN adapter 53 (step 520), and sends a LANsubscription instruction thereto (step 530). After subscribing for LAN(step 540), WS 50 notifies Host 10 of a start of use (step 550). Host 10checks if the address of WS 50 established by entry of the user fromwhich address the use start notice has been sent, is present in theentry of the corresponding ID number in the user management file, andalso checks the pass word in that entry, and thereafter the checkresults are sent back to WS 50. If the check is asserted (step 570), atransaction starts at WS 50 (step 580), whereas if the check is negated(step 570), the system user is rejected to start carrying out thetransaction at WS 50 which is then released from LAN (step 590).

In this embodiment, an ID card is given for the discrimination of asystem user. Instead of an ID card, other portable recording medium mayalso be used, such as a floppy disk, IC card, CD-ROM and the like.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the overall system arrangement with respectto an exemplary routing table at Host, according to another embodimentof the present invention.

In FIG. 6, a reference numeral 10 represents a host computer or Host, 20is a wide area network, 21 is a private line, 30₁ and 30₂ are adistributed computers or DPs, 40₁ and 40₂ are a local area networks orLANs, and 50₁ to 50₂ are work stations or WSs. WSs 50₁ to 50_(n) areconnected to Host 10 via DSs 30₁ and 30₂ and the wide area network 20 orprivate line 21.

Each WS 50₁ to 50_(n) sends a use start notice to Host 10 in accordancewith the procedure illustrated by the flow chart of FIG. 5. Uponreception of a use start notice from each WS 50₁ to 50_(n), Host 10registers the terminal address affixed to the use start notice in therouting table of Host 10.

The used line number, the originating DS number, and in case of the widearea network, the data terminal equipment address, are also registeredin correspondence with the registered terminal address. In transmittinga response to the use start notice after checking the ID number, Host 10refers to the routing table to identify the used line and originating DPso that the response affixed with the terminal address is sent back tothe originating one of DPs 30₁ to 30_(n). The originating one of DPs 30₁to 30_(n) sends as the destination address the terminal address affixedto the response and sent from Host 10, to the originating one of LANs40₁ and 40₂. Each WS 50₁ to 50_(n) receives or picks up the responseduring the initializing process if the destination address sent from theoriginating one of LANs 40₁ to 40_(n) coincides with its own address.

If each WS 50₁ to 50_(n) sends a use end nOtice to Host 10, thecorresponding entry in the routing table is deleted. In this case, theentry deleted from the routing table may be stored in the usermanagement file so that if Host 10 wishes to communicate with a systemuser not using WS, a message may be transmitted to the corresponding DPor to the lower hierarchical corresponding WS. Accordingly, the systemuser management system of this invention can be applied also to anelectronic mail system.

FIG. 7 shows the contents of the user management file in accordance withanother embodiment of the present invention.

In contrast with the user management file shown in FIG. 2 which storestherein only user names and their ID numbers, the user management fileshown in FIG. 7 stores therein additional management informationattributable to users. For example, the DP number, which can be notifiedupon reception of a use start notice as described above, is registeredin the user management file. It seldom occurs that DP once installed atone branch is transferred to another branch. For this reason, ifcorrespondence between the DP number and the branch at the DPinstallation site is arranged to be recognized, the location of a systemuser can be managed by referring to the registered DP number

In addition, since the user management file manages the informationindependently for each system user, the toll information for each usercan be collectively managed by storing the toll information regardingthe CPU occupied time, line used time and the like.

Further, the user management file may be used for the management ofoffice attendance of each system user by storing every day the times ofthe us start and end notices, for each system user.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a hierarchical arrangement of an ID numberaccording to a further embodiment of this invention. With thishierarchical ID number having a plurality of attributes for respectivehierarchical stages, the ID number can be used in identifying aparticular attribute of a system user. For example, as shown in FIG. 8,a menu to be displayed may be selected in accordance with a branchnumber, or an execution of particular transaction may be allowed inaccordance with an office title number. Specifically, in accordance withthe ID number which may be an employee number, and hierarchicalinformation stored together with, or separately from, the ID number, asupply section is allowed to see a menu of its dealers or a sectionmanager is allowed to carry out totaling dealing data of all members ofthat section.

According to this invention, a terminal address and user attribute canbe automatically set. Accordingly, it is not necessary for a systemmanager to allocate a terminal address upon addition/transfer of WSs.Further, a system user carrying a recording medium can use any WS, and aHost can check the security information to protect a particulartransaction.

What is claimed is:
 1. A terminal management method for an informationprocessing system including a host system, means for storing userdiscrimination information, and a plurality of terminal systems, eachterminal system having a variably settable address that is responsive toa recording medium written with discrimination information stored in themeans for storing, thereby enabling an information processing with thehost system, comprising the steps of:recording user discriminationinformation in said means for storing, said user discriminationinformation uniquely discriminating a user, and storing in saidrecording medium said discrimination information specific to saiddiscriminated user, in accordance with said user discriminationinformation recorded in said means for storing; and entering saiddiscrimination information recorded in said recording medium in any oneof said plurality of terminal systems to set thereto an address of saidterminal system correspondingly to said discrimination informationspecific to said discriminated user.
 2. A method according to claim 1,wherein an address of said terminal system is updated each time saiduser discrimination information is read upon mounting of said recordingmedium at said terminal system.
 3. A method according to claim 1,wherein said entered discrimination information specific to saiddiscriminated user is translated into a terminal address in accordancewith a program stored in said terminal system.
 4. A terminal managementmethod for an information processing system including a host system,discrimination information management file connected to the host systemstoring user discrimination information for uniquely discriminating auser, means for recording the user discrimination information in anexternal recording medium, a terminal system having input means forentering the user discrimination information stored in the recordingmedium to changeably establish an address of the terminal system, and anetwork connected to a plurality of the terminal systems forestablishing a communication path between the terminal system and thehost system, comprising the steps of:providing a terminal system userwith said recording medium; determining an address of said terminalsystem in each initializing process of said terminal system using saiduser discrimination information from said recording medium loaded atsaid input means by a terminal system user; and setting said terminalsystem address to said terminal system.
 5. A terminal management methodaccording to claim 4, wherein said user discrimination informationstored in said management file and in said recording medium includessecurity information for checking the validity of a terminal systemuser, and said method further comprising:a step of sending, after saidterminal system address determining step, said user discriminationinformation including said security information from said terminalsystem to said host system, and sending a use start notice; and a stepof checking by said host system the validity of said terminal addresswhile referring to said management file sending back the check resultsto said terminal system to permit or inhibit the use of said terminalsystem.
 6. A terminal management method according to claim 5, whereinsaid user discrimination information includes a discrimination codeuniquely discriminating a user and a pass word, and said method furthercomprising the step of converting said discrimination code into aterminal address if said discrimination code includes a combination ofalphabet based and numeral based symbols.
 7. A terminal managementmethod according to claim 5, wherein said network includes a local areanetwork, said host system comprises a host computer and a plurality ofdistributed computers connectable to said host computer via saidnetwork, said host computer includes a routing table storing theterminal address of said terminal system from which said host computerreceived said use start notice, and said routing table registers a lineattribute of said communication path and a distributed computerattribute, respectively of said terminal system which sent said usestart notice.
 8. A terminal management method according to claim 7,wherein said host computer responds to said user start notice from saidterminal system, deletes the corresponding entry of said routing table,and stores the deleted entry contents in said file means.
 9. A terminaladdress management method for an information processing system includinga host system and a terminal system, said host system comprising meansfor storing user discrimination information uniquely discriminating auser and means for recording the discrimination information in anexternal recording medium, and said terminal system comprising means forentering said discrimination information recorded in said recordingmedium to changeably establish an address of the terminal system saidmethod comprising the steps of:providing a terminal system user withsaid recording medium produced at said host system; and determining atsaid terminal system an address of said terminal system using said userdiscrimination information recorded in said recording medium every timethe recording medium is entered into said terminal system.
 10. Aterminal address management method according to claim 9, wherein saiduser discrimination information includes security information.
 11. Aninformation processing system including a host system, means for storinguser discrimination information, and a terminal system responsive toentry of a recording medium written with the discrimination informationstored in the means for storing the terminal system performinginformation processing with the host system, comprising:means forstoring user discrimination information in said storage means, said userdiscrimination information uniquely discriminating a user, and providingsaid recording means with said discrimination information specific tosaid discriminated user in accordance with said user discriminationinformation; and terminal address setting means, provided at saidterminal system and responsive to entering of said discriminationinformation recorded in said recording medium for changeably setting aunique address of said terminal system using said discriminationinformation specific to said discriminated user.
 12. An informationprocessing system according to claim 11, wherein said terminal addresssetting means includes means for updating the address of said terminalsystem each time said user discrimination information is read during aninitializing process upon mounting of said recording medium at saidterminal system.
 13. An information processing system according to claim11, wherein said terminal system comprises means for converting saidentered discrimination information specific to said discriminated userinto a terminal address in accordance with a program stored in saidterminal system.
 14. An information processing apparatus comprising:ahost system; discrimination information management file connected tosaid host system and adapted to store user discrimination informationfor uniquely discriminating a user; means for recording said userdiscrimination information in an external recording medium; a terminalsystem having input means for entering said user discriminationinformation stored in said recording medium; network means connected toa plurality of said terminal systems for establishing a communicationpath between said terminal system and said host system; and means forproducing an address of said terminal system in each initializingprocess of said terminal system using said user discriminationinformation from said recording medium loaded at said input means by aterminal system user, thereby setting the produced terminal systemaddress as the address of terminal system.
 15. An information processingapparatus according to claim 14, wherein said user discriminationinformation stored in said management file means and in said recordingmedium includes security information for checking the validity of aterminal system user, and said system further comprising:means, coupledto said terminal system address determining means, for sending said userdiscrimination information including said security information from saidterminal system to said host system, and outputting a use start notice;and said host system comprising validity of said terminal address whilereferring to said management file, sending back the check results tosaid terminal system and to notify of a permission or inhibition of theuse of said terminal system.
 16. An information processing apparatusaccording to claim 14, wherein said user discrimination informationincludes a discrimination code uniquely discriminating a user and a password, and said system further comprising:means for converting saiddiscrimination code into a terminal address by discriminating whethersaid discrimination code includes a combination of alphabets based andand numeral based symbols.
 17. An information processing apparatusaccording to claim 14, wherein said network includes a local areanetwork, said host system comprises a host computer and a plurality ofdistributed computers connectable to said host computer via saidnetwork, said host computer includes a routing table storing theterminal address of said terminal system from which said host computerreceived said use start notice, and said routing table registers a lineattribute of said communication path and a distributed computerattribute, respectively of said terminal system which sent said usestart notice.
 18. An information processing apparatus according to claim17, wherein said host computer includes means, responsive to said userstart notice from said terminal system, for deleting the correspondingentry of said routing table, and storing the deleted entry contents insaid file.